Please help Dunny get some proper lighting..

keenan

keenan

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Jacques
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Hi guys..

I currently own a Canon EOS 500D and would like to get a good lighting set up for studio like photography. The below photos were taken on an A3 size white paper with a diy diffused flood light illuminating from the right. I would like to get one or two off camera flashes with a softbox , but I have no idea where to start...yet

These where all taken with 28-105mm f/3.5 USM


another dunny by jacquesdewinnaar, on Flickr


dunny by jacquesdewinnaar, on Flickr


dunny over by jacquesdewinnaar, on Flickr


dunny mask by jacquesdewinnaar, on Flickr


dunny unmaked again by jacquesdewinnaar, on Flickr
 
What is your budget?
Studio strobes/Speedlites?

I would buy (for cheapness and fairly good quality) a couple of Yongnuo flashes 560, 565, 568 and a set of 3 triggers, again Yongnuo 603 or 622. The Yongnuo 560iii has built in triggers so if you got them you would need 1 x 603 to control them.
Then look on amazon or the bay for a speedlite softbox (and/or umbrella) and a couple of stands.

BUT if I was starting again (and this is me) I would get the Lencarta Atom (Godox, Wistro) bare bulb flash and some of the accessories.
In fact I have gone and done that and have most of the accessories and the 360 version
 
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Nothing wrong with those images at all.
Yip the question is speedlight or strobe?
 
I think the very light/soft shadows add depth to the images (which are great :) ). Is your intention that you want to eliminate the shadows or just want some bigger toys - nothing's wrong with that!

I've just bought my first lighting set - lencarta smart flashII 200w. I looked at various other brands but just couldn't justify the extra cost for my first set. (Units are seem good quality)

Hope that helps
 
Hi guys, thanks for all the replies! Well first of all I just want a better overall lit result with less of a noticable reflection. Hope that makes sense and the wording is correct. I have no knowledge of flashes and therefor also dont know the difference between strobes and speedlights.

I want to use black and grey backdrops but I want the lighting to give a bit of depth to the end result making the base lighter than the back.

I will post some examples in a short while when I'm back on my pc.
 
As above it's about control of light, much more important than whether it's flashguns or studio lights.

If you're working indoors with a power supply, then studio flash is probably the best bang for your buck.

If you want to improve on those hotspots though, technique is the key.
I can't link from my phone but Garry has an awesome tutorial on specular highlights. You can search this section of the forum for a link.
 
OK, the type of lighting I'm after is shown in the links below. I like a dull, really soft light that doesn't cause too much of reflection or bright spots on the subject. In addition I would like to be able to freeze motion (waterdrops) at times as well. I suspect to get nice detailed water drop photography I would need a flash rather than continuous light?

Budget is pretty tight, but I can save up for a while..

http://abload.de/img/775117_4895887352308_94p39.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z305/aidanz2007/tj07 Build/IMG_3421_small_zpsd49cee85.jpg
 
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For the still life stuff, you might have been the only person I ever recommended continuous lighting to.

But then you mentioned water drops.

I'm no expert, but my gut reaction for water drops would be speed lights rather than studio flash, for the shorter flash duration.

Yongnuo make some dirt cheap manual flashguns (YN 560?), just add manual triggers (YN 603) stands, as large a soft box as you have space for ( for convenience go for an easy up design) and a load of bits of card, grips and reflectors.
And a copy of these books light science and magic, and the speed lighters handbook.
You can work miracles with bits of card to flag and reflect and some patience.
 
Thank you so much Phil, I am checking now and prices seem pretty cheap. I know very little about flashes and triggers and I am using an EOS 500D so, I take it I need to get triggers for as many flash units I need right? What do I connect to the camera?
 
juggler said:
Istr the Yonguno 560 has an built in receiver so you'd only need 1 transmitter. If you had any other brand of flash it could slave off the Yn560 - or you could buy an extra receiver.
Click to expand...

Thanks juggler, so I can buy 2 Yonguno 560's and a Yongnuo 2.4GHz YN RF-603 trigger (can only find a set of 2) connect one transceiver to the camera and that will trigger the first flash which will then trigger the second flash...right?
 
Phil has covered this very well.

An upgrade from this would be to get 2 x Yongnuo 568 EX II with the 3 of the Yongnuo YN-622C flash triggers - you need 1 for camera and 1 for each flash. This will give you the ability to change the power of the lights from your camera menu. Check that this is possible with your 500D. Being able to control the power of the lights from one place makes life a lot easier.

I've only done a little product photography, but I have been surprised at how much power can be needed. Product shots often need to be sharp from front to back and requite a big depth of field, so you could be shooting at small apertures. For this reason you might want to consider strobes instead of Speedltes. Stobes are much better at providing the diffused light you need.

The strobe kit you might want to look at is the Interfit EX150. Add a couple of reflectors and simple light panels for further diffusion.

These 5 in 1 reflectors also include a diffuser, they would be equally useful if you are using Speedlites or strobes.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23-58cm-F...475?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f16c6079b

Hope this helps, but you've got a few workable options now to suit whatever your budget might be.
 
juggler said:
Istr the Yonguno 560 has an built in receiver so you'd only need 1 transmitter. If you had any other brand of flash it could slave off the Yn560 - or you could buy an extra receiver.
Click to expand...
Note that it is only the YN-560-III that has the built in receiver, the 560 and 560-II do not.
One trigger will fire as many compatible receivers as you have in range (and set to the same channel, if applicable), so if you bought 2xYN-560-III and a 603 trigger, teh 603 would fire both flashes. Chances are you'll have to buy a trigger / receiver pair, so you would be left with a spare receiver. You could save a little by getting 1x560-III and 1x560-II, and using the receiver to trigger the 560-II, but it would be easier to have 2x560-III and a spare receiver!
 
Thanks for all the help everyone! I think I've got it all figured out, now I just need a light stand for the flash and softbox..

What are these called?
 
Phil V said:
I tried adding links int the PM and failed.

In short, for the softbox you linked, you'd also need to buy a flash bracket.

I'd recommend a slightly better softbox that includes a bracket.

But you also need a light stand.
Click to expand...

Here's the one I've been using for a year or so. Just make sure whatever softbox you buy has two diffusers, otherwise you will get hot spots.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002W9G8VM/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Phil, be careful with that stuff on Ebay that says it comes from Portsmouth, I think it's just the port of entry. There are several companies on Ebay who are all basically the same outfit, BPS. These are the guys who messed me about with strobes. Click Contact on that page and you'll see it's a company in China.
 
Thank you Jenny, I think I'll pay a bit extra and get that one from amazon..
 
keenan said:
Thank you Jenny, I think I'll pay a bit extra and get that one from amazon..
Click to expand...

Add a stofen to your flash and adjust the bracked so the flash is as far into the box as you can possibly get it.

I added this grid and it majorly improved light control. It will keep light off backgrounds and off your camera lens, too. It's not the most amazing grid, but for £13 it was excellent value for money and does its job. It is a very good fit for that box which has plenty of room on the Velcro to attach the diffuser and grid together.

The only downside of this style of softbox is that it won't work with strobes, there doesn't;t seem to be an adapter that will work with it. However, if you were moving up to strobes later you'd most likely be looking for a different softbox anyway as strobes support larger modifiers.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310854167865?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
 
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